By the end of the 15th century the sense “a woman given to immoral or improper conduct” had come into use, and it is the only meaning in use today. Interestingly, the same second meaning, a promiscuous woman, developed for the term slattern.

Are Number 10 suggesting that it would be in any way better for a middle aged Tory MP to have called a young woman a ‘slattern’ to her face?